CQ Amateur Radio

Sherlock Investigates: $25,000 Radio Fails Because of 2-Cent Plastic Part

It was a dark and cloudy day when this defective radio was returned to the 221B Baker Street Laboratory for analysis. I had offered my services to the Ministry of Defence before to help with some of the more singular failures.

Watson was unavailable to record these findings, so these writings are only from my sketchy notes. I hope they prove helpful to others faced with such an elusive and singular failure. This is a factual report; my monographs and case files contain fewer embellishments here than Dr. Watson’s.

When the defective radio arrived, it was wrapped in a plastic bag and the).

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from CQ Amateur Radio

CQ Amateur Radio3 min read
Antennas
I have been doing a lot of work on direction-finding antennas lately, so it sure seemed like it would be a good topic for this issue. In Photo A, we have the classic ferrite rod antenna used in most AM radios, often called a wave magnet in the early
CQ Amateur Radio1 min read
CQ Amateur Radio
Richard S. Moseson, W2VU, Editor Sabrina Herman, KB3UJW, Associate Editor Susan Moseson, Editorial Consultant Kent Britain, WA5VJB, Antennas Martin Butera, PT2ZDX / LU9EFO, At-Large Gerry L. Dexter, The Listening Post Joe Eisenberg, KØNEB, Kit-Buildi
CQ Amateur Radio9 min read
The Radio Room of the Kon Tiki Expedition
28 April to 7 Aug 1947 I first read Kon Tiki as a 12-year-old, and have been fascinated by this wonderful story my entire life. As an adult, I read it again (pre-Internet) and now as a 75-year-old, I have just finished rereading this tale of a high s

Related Books & Audiobooks